Alabama Recruitment

[LionTamer]

Yikes! Being a true blue Yankee, I don't have any connections or reasons to follow the Southern rush threads, but this year, and friend who moved down South asked me to help her find recs for her daughter, who is rushing at Bama - she was able to get all the rest herself, and just needed help on those last two

As someone from a family where no one went to college before my generation, and as someone whose mom's friends hadn't gone to college, much less participated in Greek life, I am firmly opposed to the idea of recs. Rationalize away, but in the end, they are nothing but a way of keeping girls from families that didn't go to college OUT of the system. Yes, an enterprising girl from a non-college family can solicit teachers, etc, to help, but the deck is totally stacked in favor of girls with moms who were Greek know how to work the system (like my friend). I was lucky that I went to Penn State, and that most of the girls my sorority were first generation Greeks, so it wasn't an issue for me.

But when asked to help, I bit my tongue, and lined up my girlfriends to write those recs. Her daughter is going where she's going, recs are required, and me being pissy about them won't change the system. When in Rome, I guess.

But the concept is still elitist, and still sucks.

[littleowl33]

Originally Posted by LionTamer

Yikes! Being a true blue Yankee, I don't have any connections or reasons to follow the Southern rush threads, but this year, and friend who moved down South asked me to help her find recs for her daughter, who is rushing at Bama - she was able to get all the rest herself, and just needed help on those last two

As someone from a family where no one went to college before my generation, and as someone whose mom's friends hadn't gone to college, much less participated in Greek life, I am firmly opposed to the idea of recs. Rationalize away, but in the end, they are nothing but a way of keeping girls from families that didn't go to college OUT of the system. Yes, an enterprising girl from a non-college family can solicit teachers, etc, to help, but the deck is totally stacked in favor of girls with moms who were Greek know how to work the system (like my friend).

But when asked to help, I bit my tongue, and lined up my girlfriends to write those recs. Her daughter is going where she's going, recs are required, and me being pissy about them won't change the system. When in Rome, I guess.

But the concept is still elitist, and still sucks.

As a fellow Yankee... I definitely see where you're coming from, and I agree to some extent.

On the other hand - chapters at my school very, very rarely receive or use recs. For 200+ girls going through last year, I think we only got 3 recs/resumes (and it seems like they're more to indulge Greek friends of the family who want to write them). But I really wish we did get them, because it's so hard to decide whether or not to offer membership based on a few 20-minute conversations alone. More info would so helpful. As weird as it sounds, I wish recs could come from any reputable source, whether or not they're Greek - kind of like college admissions. It would open things up for women with no Greek connections and allow PNMs to get recs from people who really know them, like teachers or religious leaders, as opposed to greek women they have to go hunting for.

[UGAalum94]

I think you're downplaying the idea that membership is intentionally selective.

I don't mean intentionally elitist, necessarily, but that GLOs want to offer membership to people they know to be worthy, as much as possible. If a school has deferred recruitment, it's easier to get to know a girl well, but for most recuitments where recs are big, often recruitment is held before school even starts.

I'd rather offer membership to people based partially on what alumnae can say about them, rather than just the short conversations during parties.

And, it's not as if a girl is limited to her own family in securing recs, so "Rationalize away, but in the end, they are nothing but a way of keeping girls from families that didn't go to college OUT of the system" is just plain inaccurate.

[GPhiBLtColonel]

Originally Posted by LionTamer

Yikes! Being a true blue Yankee, I don't have any connections or reasons to follow the Southern rush threads, but this year, and friend who moved down South asked me to help her find recs for her daughter, who is rushing at Bama - she was able to get all the rest herself, and just needed help on those last two

As someone from a family where no one went to college before my generation, and as someone whose mom's friends hadn't gone to college, much less participated in Greek life, I am firmly opposed to the idea of recs. Rationalize away, but in the end, they are nothing but a way of keeping girls from families that didn't go to college OUT of the system. Yes, an enterprising girl from a non-college family can solicit teachers, etc, to help, but the deck is totally stacked in favor of girls with moms who were Greek know how to work the system (like my friend). I was lucky that I went to Penn State, and that most of the girls my sorority were first generation Greeks, so it wasn't an issue for me.

But when asked to help, I bit my tongue, and lined up my girlfriends to write those recs. Her daughter is going where she's going, recs are required, and me being pissy about them won't change the system. When in Rome, I guess.

But the concept is still elitist, and still sucks.

I am a Yankee by birth (born in Newport, Rhode Island, with TONS of family scattered throughout Mass and my great uncle x 11 came over on the Mayflower!) but having lived in the south for almost two decades, well, I feel compelled to respond to your statement, LionTamer, that the concept of recs is elitest and sucks. I must respectfully disagree.

I am not going to rationalize anything to you but I will say that I think you are not being as open-minded as most Yankees are (or think they are).

Recs are actually NOTHING more than letters of introduction. You know, like letters of introduction that happen in business every day. Those are not eltiest. Or like what your friends daughter undoubtedly had to get from her high school teachers, counselors, principal, administrators etc to accompany college applications or scholarship appplications. Those are not elitest.

I don't know where you live or, more importantly, where your friend and her daughter live, but there are groups called Alumnae Panhellenic Associations that help with recs regardless of whether the girls seeking them are first-time college-goers or not. You do have to go to the NPC website to find where the groups are if you are not already familiar with them in your community.

That all said, even though recs do help immensely, if a there is a mutual connnection between a sorority and a rec-less PNM, a bid will likely materialize.

I hope your friends daughter is having a successful/satisfying recruitment at Bama - today is prefs!

[AnchorAlumna]

Originally Posted by magnoliacurious

AnchorAlumna, actually after thinking about Alpha Phi's presence affecting the equation a little more, an overall quota of 70 to 75 isn't quite as steep a drop as I thought moments ago. You may very well be right on target!

Years of practice and self-denial lol!!!

Originally Posted by LionTamer

...I am firmly opposed to the idea of recs. Rationalize away, but in the end, they are nothing but a way of keeping girls from families that didn't go to college OUT of the system.

I disagree, and I, too, came from a family that had never been to college, and most of whose parents' friends had not, either.

Years ago, it was NOT required for the PNM to round up her own recs. The chapter got a list from Panhellenic and sent requests out to their alumnae (and it still works that way at the schools I work with). Now, the sheer numbers of girls going through recruitment dictates that they round 'em up themselves. We make it easy in our town with our alumnae panhellenic.

Most NPC groups require that a rec be on file before pref invitations are extended. I can assure you that if a sorority likes a girl enough, a rec will be found. It may be a chapter adviser signing it, or her rusher signing it, but the group will not let a small thing like no rec keep them from pledging her.

Groups that say "we don't do recs" usually have somebody willing to sign off somewhere along the line to fulfill their sorority's requirement.

And really and truly? Most of the time, a rec doesn't matter....BUT I have seen instances where it saved a group big trouble (and instances where ignoring a "no" rec bought them big trouble).

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by LionTamer

Yikes! Being a true blue Yankee, I don't have any connections or reasons to follow the Southern rush threads, but this year, and friend who moved down South asked me to help her find recs for her daughter, who is rushing at Bama - she was able to get all the rest herself, and just needed help on those last two

As someone from a family where no one went to college before my generation, and as someone whose mom's friends hadn't gone to college, much less participated in Greek life, I am firmly opposed to the idea of recs. Rationalize away, but in the end, they are nothing but a way of keeping girls from families that didn't go to college OUT of the system. Yes, an enterprising girl from a non-college family can solicit teachers, etc, to help, but the deck is totally stacked in favor of girls with moms who were Greek know how to work the system (like my friend). I was lucky that I went to Penn State, and that most of the girls my sorority were first generation Greeks, so it wasn't an issue for me.

But when asked to help, I bit my tongue, and lined up my girlfriends to write those recs. Her daughter is going where she's going, recs are required, and me being pissy about them won't change the system. When in Rome, I guess.

But the concept is still elitist, and still sucks.

On the same token, do you think that college and scholarship recommendations from teachers, headmasters, or coaches are "elitist"? Almost every organization--social and professional--I've joined after college has required some sort of sponsorship or recommendation from an existing member. You call it elitist, I call it the real world.